Drill pipe protector



March 10, 1936.

- FiledMarch 13, 1935 W. L. SKEEN DRILL PIPE PROTECTOR 2 SheetsF-Sheet l .17. {y D 1? 24 14 11 10 12 I 10 finfeiyfar ML. 622%]? Mamh ,1936. w. SKEEN DRILL PIPE PROTECTOR Filed March 13, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fizvezz for fl/zozwgya.

. Patented Mar. 10, 1936 mum. mrs rao'rno'roa 7 Walter L. Sheen, 'Los Angela. cum.. 7 Application March 1:, 19:5, Serial No. 10.844

UNITED STATES" Claims. (01. roe-'4) This invention relates to improvements in drill pipe protectors. I

' An object of the invention is to provide'animproved protector adapted to be applied to a drill pipe used in rotary drilling like. Heretofore, a common type of protector that has been employed is in the nature of an an-= nular rubber ring which is expanded so as to be capable of being passed over the end of the drill pipe and then allowed to contract around the drill pipe. Such protectors, while they-adequate- 1y serve to protect the pipe and to protect the casing that may be engaged by the drill pipe, are disadvantageous in that the mbber, in the course of time, "freezes" or becomes vulcanized onto the drill pipe so that usually it is impossible to remove the protector and apply it to a new drill pipe after it has remained installed on the old drill pipe for a considerable time. 00 An object of the present invention is to provide a drill pipe protector of such design that it can be easily and quickly applied around a drill pipe and which can be easily stripped off of the drill pipe for subsequent application on the new drill pipe. 7 More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide an improved drill pipe protector consisting mainly of a rubber body having hookedends which are mutually engageable on the application of the body to a drill pipe, the hooked ends being adequately reinforced with metal reinforcements embedded in the'rubber only adjacent the ends so that the inherent elasticity in the rubber body intermediate the ends is preserved, causing the construction to snugly embrace the drill pipe.

with the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanyins drawings for an illustrative embed-- iment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a portion of tor in applied position thereon and illustrating the protector from thatside on which the hooked ends are located.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig; 1, illustrating the reverse side of the protector. 1

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the protector, illustratingthe protector around the drill pipe, the drill pipebeing shown in horizontal section.

' Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the metal reinforcements applied to reinforce the hooked ends.

of oil wells and the a drill pipe, illustrating the improved protec- PATENT OFFICE around the drill pipe and serve to protect the drill pipe and easing within which the drill pipe may be rotating.

Near the ends of the split rubber ring steel 5 bars ll and I2 areembedded therein which extend vertically and which have their tops and bottoms projecting above and below the body of the ring, as indicated at it, ll, ll and II on Fig.

l. Secured to these bars there are hook-shaped sheet metal reinforcements l1 and II. These are preferably perforated as at I. and have bendable lingers ll which are wrapped around the bars. Between the fingers there are leit relatively large spaces 2| adjacent the forward sides of bars Ii and I2. Above and below the metal reinforcement each bar is preferably provided with knurling 22. I

In manufacturing the improv d drill pipe protector the sheet metal reinforcements and the bar are first assembled and then preferably have applied theretoa thin rubber stock which will enter and till the perforations I! and the openings 2|. Over this layer of ruhber'stock there is applied a layer of rubberized fabric ll (see Fig. 5). 'me metal so covered with fabric then have the rubber stock which is to form the body of the protector applied thereover and the-whole is placed in a mold in which vulcanization takes place and which gives the pro- 4.0

tector the desired shape. The mold is so designed in the preferred form of construction to form protuberances or embossments 2t and 25 on the back of the body which are substantially the same height as the projecting ends. it, ll, ll 48 and It onbars II and I2.

Thebodyissoformedthatitsinnercircumference is but slightly smallerthan the exterior circumference of the drill pipe so that it is necessary to stretch the body on applying it about the n drill pipe D. As the metal reinforcements do not extend entirely around the body, the inherent elasticity in the rubber permits the major portion of the rubber body to stretch so that when applied it will be slightly stretched and thlll caused to snugly embrace the drill pipe. In the preferred form of construction, also, the interior of the rubber body is molded with circumferentially' extending grooves 26 which are designed to prevent longitudinal slipping of the protector on the drill pipe when the protector is applied thereto. The sheet metal reinforcements l1 and their flanges 21 are embedded in the rubber, forming clincher type hooked ends which mutually engage upon the application of the protector, and in the preferred form of construction the protector has the hooked ends in the position shown in Pig. 3 when applied to the drill pipe so that when the drill pipe is rotated to the right in accordance with conventional practice there is no tendency for the ends being caught and thus disengaged while in the well. Instead, any surface engaged by the protector during its rotation will merely slide off the end of a hook-shaped end and pass therefrom across the adjacent shoulder 2! on the body;

The purpose of the knurling 22 on the bars II and I2 is to enablethe formation of a tight seal or engagement between the rubber and the bars where the bars project from the surface of the rubber so that there is no danger of the rubber peeling loose from the bars. The protuberances 24 and 2! serve to balance the protector and support it in even position when it is allowed to rest on a derrick floor or otherwise. In applying the protector I prefer to use a suitable tool, such as shown in Fig. 6, consisting of a body slotted at top and bottom as indicated at H to enable the insertion of the projecting ends l4 and I on bar II. A rack 32 is slidable therein and has its teeth meshing with a pinion 33 that Should occasion require the removal of a protector from a drill pipe and its application to a new drill pipe, this can be easily accomplished by means of the tool drawing the ends of the protector together suiiiciently to enable disengagement of the hook-shaped'ends. when the ends are thus disengaged the protector can be easily stripped or peeled off of the drill pipe without danger of injury and subsequently applied to a new drill pipe.

to cause the protector to snugly engage, which would not be the case where the metal reinforcement extends entirely around the body. The

reinforcement adequately reinforces the hookshaped ends and as the stock penetrates the perforations in the reinforcements there is no danger of these parts loosening or being pulled out of the body.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the append claims.

I claim:

1. A drill pipe protector comprising a ring-like rubber body adapted to be applied around a drill pipe, said body having mutually engageable hooked ends, and reinforcing means embedded in the body and reinforcing the ends, said reinforcing means being located in the ends of the body only, leaving the balance of the body with its inherent elasticity.

2. A drill pipe protector comprising a ring-like rubber body adapted to be applied around a drill pipe, said body having mutually engageable hooked ends, there being vertically extending bars embedded in the body adjacent the ends, and reinforcing means connected to the bars and reinforcing the ends, said bars projecting from the body to facilitate the tightening of the body around a drill pipe to engage the ends.

3. A drill pipe protector comprising a ring-like rubber body adapted to be applied around a drill pipe, said body having mutually engageable hooked ends, there being vertically extending bars embedded in the body and projecting upwardly and downwardly therefrom, and sheet metal reinforcements embedded in the hookshaped ends and connected to'the bars.

4. A drill pipe protector comprising a ring-like rubber body adapted to be applied around a drill pipe, said body having mutually engageable hooked ends, there being vertically extending bars embedded in the body and projecting upwardly and downwardly therefrom, and sheet metal reinforcements embedded in the hook-shaped ends and connected to the bars, said sheet metal reinforcements being perforated and having relatively large openings therein where they join the bars.

5. A drill pipe protector comprising a ring-like rubber body adapted to be applied around a drill pipe, said body having mutually engageable r hooked ends, there being vertically extending bars embedded in the body and projecting upwardly and downwardly therefrom, and sheet metal reinforcements embedded in the hook-shaped ends and connected to the bars, said bars being knurled where they project from the rubber body.-

8. A drill pipe protector comprising a ring-like rubber body adapted to be applied around a drill pipe, said body having mutually engageable hooked ends, and reinforcing means embedded in the body adjacent the hooked ends and reinforcing the ends, said reinforcing means projecting from the top and bottom of the body, there being protuberances or embossments at the back of the body projecting upwardly and downward-' ly therefrom as and for the purpose described.

WALTER L. SKEEN. 

